Riveting Winter Vacation Reads

Winter break can be a great time for kids to get into a good book. Beat cabin fever or take a break from screens with a riveting story from the library! 

The following list features something for everybody: Compelling mysteries. Fast-paced action. Resonant characters overcoming challenges. The timeless “scientists-discovered-a-comet-and-it’s-headed-straight-for-Earth!” trope. These absorbing reads will appeal to even the most reluctant readers!  


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If you are new to our eResources, check out these tutorial videos on how to get started.     

If you’re looking for more book suggestions, we’re happy to recommend them to you! Use this Book Recommendation form to send us some information about what you like to read and we’ll curate a list just for you.    

If you have any additional questions, you can contact a librarian through Facebook, Instagram or X. You can also call us at 412-622-3114 or email us at info@carnegielibrary.org 

Alebrijes

When thirteen-year-old Leandro takes the fall for his sister and is exiled into an ancient drone, he embarks on a perilous journey beyond the city’s walls where he encounters mutant monsters, wasteland pirates, and fellow outcasts as he tries to save his sister and fellow Cascabeles from an oppressive regime.

This title is also available for checkout as an eBook on Libby.


A Bit of Earth

When difficult child Maria Latif arrives in Long Island from Pakistan to live with the strange Clayborne family, she discovers an off-limits garden that becomes a place where she finally feels at home. 

This title is also available for checkout as an eBook on Libby, an eBook on Hoopla, and in eAudio on Hoopla. 


The Gray

Sasha has been bullied at his middle school and his anxiety, which he calls the Gray, is growing, so his parents and therapist suggest a summer in the country with his aunt might help him. 

This title is also available for checkout in eAudio on Hoopla 

 


The Otherwoods

When twelve-year-old River’s only friend is kidnapped and dragged to the terrifying spirit world of The Otherwoods, they have no choice but to face the world’s monsters and their own fears to become the hero they were destined to be. 


The Probability of Everything

When an asteroid has an 84.7% chance of colliding with the Earth in four days, eleven-year-old Kemi, who loves scientific facts and probability, assembles a time capsule to capture her family’s truth as she tries to come to terms with saying goodbye. 

This title is also available for checkout in eAudio on Libby. 


Sail Me Away Home

As a young teacher on Martha’s Vineyard, Mary Lambert feels restless and adrift. So when a league of missionaries invite her to travel abroad, she knows it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. 

This title is also available for checkout in eAudio on Hoopla 

 


The Storyteller

Ziggy’s mother disappeared ten years ago, one of the many Native women who have mysteriously gone missing, and Ziggy believes a secret cave may hold the key. 

This title is also available for checkout in eAudio on Hoopla 


You Are Here: Connecting Flights

In a crowded Chicago airport, an incident at TSA impacts twelve young Asian Americans, all strangers to one another before this day. As events cause their journeys to intertwine, they discover the challenges of friendship, the perils of younger siblings, the power or words, and the unexpected significance of a blue Stratocaster electric guitar. 

This title is also available for checkout as an eAudio on Libby, and an eBook on Hoopla, and eAudio on Hoopla